Grass vs Water Mud?
by messi-soccergirl18-10
Summary: Percy Jackson is the swim team captain and swim star at Goode High. Annabeth Chase: Goode High's newly found soccer talent. Will water and grass form the traditional mud? Or will there be something more...?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey Guys! So.. this was a story for fun.. it's very cliche, I hope you'll like it!**

Chapter One: Swim Meet

Percy smiled as the timer told him his time. It was a personal, not to mention a world, record- Coach would be happy. This had been a good term for Percy professionally and academically. he had achieved new personal records at every meet, and managed to keep a pretty healthy report card- he had not gotten less than an A-. His reputation as the most popular guy at Goode High had also remained constant although the good social life ended there...

This term, Percy had, for the first time, experienced a break-up which had affected him severely. His ex, Diana, was a very cliche, popular, stereo-typically blonde, bitch. Percy had idolized her, and when they were together, he had given her everything she had wanted... which was saying something. That girl had wanted a lot. She had taken advantage of his wealth every chance she had gotten, and had made sure that he had known what a bad boyfriend he was. Percy, however, being the loyal guy he was, had listened to and followed her every command. Diana got bored easily, though. When she had gotten everything she had wanted- including a $300 _diamond_ purse- she performed the merciless act of texting Percy that she had been cheating on him the whole two years.. and she'd even had the guts to add a ';)' at the end. Percy had done everything- called her, confronted her personally, emailed her, but the witch with a b just laughed and kept dating more boys. As Percy began to recall the time she had made out with another boy.. _in front of his locker_.. he felt water (the unwanted kind) spring to his eyes, and he clenched his fists...

"Percy?!... Earth to Percy! Or should I say water?"

Percy jumped with a start as he recognized the voice of his coach and stepdad: Paul.

"Percy, you need to stop thinking about Diana so much- it's not healthy for you, son."

"Paul, I was NOT thinking about-"

"Right.. Your fists were clenched, your eyes were threatening to overflow with tears, and you were cursing under your breath, but you weren't thinking about your ex-girlfriend at all. What was your time?"

"Sixteen seconds. Okay fine, I admit, i was thinking about her. But, Paul, _of course_ I was. We were together for TWO YEARS. We were voted Couple Most Likely to Get _Married_. It's going to take _some_ time to get over her."

Paul allowed himself a smile as he heard Percy's record time. But then the dad inside him reappeared. "Percy, it's taken three months. That's more than enough time. And anyway, I don't see Diana sulking... Okay, I'll talk to you at home, son- Tyson just finished his event."

Percy sighed as he walked away. Paul was a great stepdad, but sometimes he was really clueless. Obviously Diana wasn't sulking... He-lloo?!_ She _broke up with Percy. It wasn't like _she_ had been given the biggest shock of her life over PHONE. No. It was Percy._ He_ had been treated like dirt- hurt beyond words. He just wished that he could find another girl.. but one who would support him- he needed a girl like that. And he needed her soon.

**Hey... so that's it for now. I don't think it's very good, but I was bored. :P I'm really open to suggestions.. In fact, I'm hoping for them! Please review and give feedback.. I really appreciate it! (P.S. Next chapter is Annabeth..!)**


	2. Chapter 2: Soccer Games and Breakups

**Hey.. here's Chapter Two! I decided to do Annabeth now. A warning: this is a very cliché/touché story, but I'll try to keep it pretty low on the cheesiness. **** Hope you like this chapter!**

Chapter Two: Soccer Games and Break-ups

Annabeth jumped three feet in the air as she scored the first goal of the championship game—and the last, apparently, for the whistle ending the game blew approximately two seconds after her movie-like, game-clinching, bicycle kick goal. Thalia, Katie, Clarisse, and other girls whose names she could not remember, all crowded her and lifted her into the air as they began chanting her name.

Annabeth hadn't been at Goode for very long, about four months had passed, but promptly after coming, she had quickly found their girls' soccer team, and demonstrated her talent to them. They had immediately made her captain, and for once, Annabeth had experienced the joy of having friends who liked her for who she was. She hadn't felt this happy since.. well, since Luke.

It hurt to say his name—he had hurt her that bad. Luke had been Annabeth's closest boyfriend. She had actually envisioned them as a couple which could last beyond high school. Luke, though, had clearly seen her as one of his many high school flings. He had taken full advantage of her wisdom—gotten her to do his homework, he'd used her brains to come up with plans for getting himself out of trouble, and he'd used her innocence to make the teachers believe that he was crime-free, as well. He had lied—saying to Annabeth that he had to go places, when really he was committing some felony, or meeting someone else.

Annabeth had found out the latter in the worst way possible. Luke had one day peppered kisses down her neck and told her that he was going someplace to prepare a surprise for his "sweetheart." Annabeth, being a girl who couldn't stand surprises, had secretly followed him—quietly running behind him from one street to the next. She was surprised to see him enter a coffee shop.. perhaps he was going to buy her coffee…? But for once, she was wrong. Luke was clearly not buying her coffee—more like he was buying himself another girl—as he passionately kissed the straight-haired blonde leaning back in her seat. Tears sprang to Annabeth's eyes as she remembered all the times in which Luke had caressed her that exact way. What a cheater. Annabeth sprang out from her hiding place, and casually strolled over to Luke, whose back was turned to her. She lightly tapped his shoulder. "What?" he had snapped huskily, without turning around. Annabeth had, ever so sweetly, called his name. She heard him curse under his breath as he recognized the voice..

"Annabeth? Oh shit, I'm so sorry. You're my darling, you know that, but you know…. a man just needs his needs satisfied, and your mouth just wasn't aggressive enough.." he trailed off as he saw Annabeth's expression.

"Shut up and stop blubbering, Luke, you jackass. If I had known that a good kissing tongue was all you had wanted, I would never have gotten together with you!"

Luke's eyes turned to steel. "Fine then, bitch. Get out of my life. I got what I wanted from you anyway. Leave me alone." And without further ado, he had turned back to the petite blonde and continued making out with her, aggressively.

Annabeth felt shocked. "What the hell do you mean, Luke?"

This time he didn't bother to turn around. "And I thought you were smart. I mean, we're not together, Annabeth. Now LEAVE ME ALONE. I have better things to do."

Stunned, Annabeth had turned and walked in a numb state out the door as she had wondered how the conversation had taken such a sudden turn. They had been together for THREE YEARS. They had been _inseparable_. Annabeth presently felt tears spring to her eyes as she recalled all the times Luke had used her. She began to tremble…

"Annabeth? Annabeth!"

Annabeth snapped out of her miserable reverie as her best friend, Thalia Grace, pulled her mind away from the depressing memories.

"Annabeth, stop thinking about Luke," Thalia had commanded as soon as the team began to disperse. "And don't even try to deny it—you were thinking about him—I saw the signs. But please, I beg you, don't think about him. It's not healthy for you. Seriously. It's been like three months, now. _He's _not all hung up over _you_. So don't give him the pleasure of you still being hung up over him."

Thalia was the only person Annabeth had ever trusted about her "Luke secret." Well, about anything, really. But sometimes Thalia acted really stupid. "Thals, duh he's not hung up over me. He never was, apparently. Even when we were together. If he was cheating on me the whole time, why the hell would he care? _He _wasn't being hurt—or being treated like shit. No. It was me. Tears threatened to flow, as Annabeth completed her little rant.

"Annabeth.. to be honest, I don't know how to help you anymore. I mean, you see the girl who Luke was making out with, at school every day.. you have to get over the reminder. What's her name again?"

"Diana." (**Yes, Percy's ex. **** I told you it was cliché…)**

"Yeah, her. Every day, you say you're reminded of Luke.. and how much you miss him."

"Well, Thalia, I AM."

"But I don't think so."

"Well, you're stupid."

Thalia glared at her. "_Anyway,_ why don't I _explain._ I think that you don't really miss Luke.. I think you miss having a guy in your life."

"Thalia, what the hell are you _saying_?!"

"Gosh, Annabeth, calm down and LISTEN! Maybe then you'd actually FIGURE OUT what I'm trying to say!"

Annabeth instantly felt guilty as she realized that she had been taking out all her anger towards Luke, on her best friend—the only person who was trying to help her. She took a deep breath and nodded, gesturing for Thalia to continue.

"Thanks. Anyway, as I was saying what you really need, to help you get sorted out, is a guy who'll help you and prove to you that not all guys are idiots. For Heaven's Sake, Annabeth, you're 17, blonde, and smart. Finding a guy should not be that hard!"

"Thalia, I don't exactly want to find a guy… I- I don't know if I can handle it… I prefer letting my soccer help me get through these things…" Annabeth trailed off with a helpless expression.

"Annabeth," Thalia sighed, "I'm not forcing you. Just promise me, please, that you'll _try_ to get over Luke, by some method other than just soccer. Please? Promise?"

Annabeth hesitated and lifted her head to look into her best friend's electric blue eyes. All she saw was support and love. With that comforting sight, she made her decision.

"I promise."

**There it is! I hope you liked it.. I had trouble with the grammar (tense/commas) in many areas (you can probably tell), but it was fun to write. Please review and provide feedback/suggestions! They mean a lot. Percabeth coming soon, I promise! (Like Annabeth did! Hahaha.. okay fine. It's not funny.)**


	3. Chapter 3: Swim Practice

**Hi again! Thanks for all the reviews, follows, favorites, and support.. it means a lot to me! Thanks! **

**So we're back to Percy.. this chapter won't be very long, cause I, like an idiot, banged up my head and got a concussion (soccer…) so I'm not in the best condition right now… sorry. I hope you like it anyway!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO. At all. **

Chapter 3: Swim Practice

Percy rushed out the door as soon as the bell rang. Gosh, he _hated_ chem. He rushed to his locker, dumped his books, and smiled to himself as he grabbed his bag for swimming. Finally. Swimming wuld allow him to clear his mind and relax for once. Percy loved the feeling of giving all his energy to the race.. of pushing off the wall as if he was a rocket.. of crashing into the wall at the end of a race.. of hearing his name on the speaker when they announced his record times. Those feelings were ones which he couldn't get by doing anything other than swimming. He hurried to the locker room and walked out in his swim trunks. Recognizing Paul in the corner, he called out to his stepdad.

"Hey, Perce! Are you ready for today?"

Percy laughed. Paul always asked him the same thing. "Yes, Paul. Like every day, I'm ready today, too…"

Paul smiled. Though Percy wasn't his real son, the two had a very comfortable relationship; they were always joking around, keeping an easy banter. Except when Percy was in the pool, of course. "Okay, Perce, now dive in."

Percy hesitated. Paul looked at his son's pleading face.. "Oh all right, you can cannonball." Percy whooped and cannonballed into the water like a three year old. Chuckling at his son's antics, Paul turned to his clipboard. " 'Kay, Perce, looks like you got off easy today.. only a 1000 yards for warm-ups."

Percy fist-pumped the air, glad that he didn't have to swim his usual four miles for warm-ups. He loved swimming and all, but he preferred the main set over his warm-ups. The main set was what made him drastically better. "Choice swim?" he questioned.

Paul nodded. Percy shot off the wall and began 1000 yards of freestyle, his favorite stroke. Paul liked Percy to do butterfly—that was his fastest—but Percy decided to give his abs a rest, for once. Falling into his regular breathing pattern, and allowing his body to take over, Percy felt content for the first time since he'd left his house.

As Percy continued to swim, he thought about what he could have improved, at his last meet. Being a swimming perfectionist, Percy mentally listed so many points to improve, that by the time he was halfway through, he had finished the warm-up. He called out to Paul, saying that he was done, and Paul walked over to go over their swim schedule.

"Okay Percy, so what I want to work on first is technique. Your main set will take about an hour and a half, and your warm-up took about 25 minutes…" Percy raised his eyebrows. He'd been that slow? Twenty-five minutes? He began to criticize himself, when he was jolted out of his self-coaching, by Paul's voice. ".. S our technique should take about an hour. That adds up to three hours, right?" Percy rolled his eyes, and nodded. "Okay, then we'll do your warm-down, and you can go home. So let's start with technique. I wanted to work on your breaststroke…" and the two fell into their (very) familiar pattern of swim practice.

Percy smiled as he jumped out of the pool and bumped into his younger brother Tyson, who was coming out of the locker room while Percy was going in.

"Hey, man, have fun today.. Paul's being easy, don't worry about practice today."

Tyson smiled and shook his head at his brother's choice of words. "Percy, you and I have _very _different definitions of 'easy', trust me." And then Tyson noticed the time, cursed, and ran to the pool.

"No running on deck!" Percy called, laughing at his brother. **(A/N: that was out of nowhere, I know. I just wanted a brotherly moment, sorry bout that)**

Percy smiled as he packed his bag, and prepared for the walk home. He loved to walk home—it was his cool down time.. a time when he was alone, and could think. It was fun to see all the lights twinkling, and he loved to watch the city. It was just so alive. He loved Manhattan. As soon as he stepped outside, he felt the sharp wind biting at his face. Percy didn't mind, though. It wasn't like the cold was something new. He began to think about the day's events, and smiled as he recalled how today was the day he had finally stopped caring about Diana, and finally he'd seen her as the bitch she really was. Why? Because he had found a girl whom he truly liked. A girl who would support him much better than a million Dianas ever could.

Smiling, Percy thought about all her little quirks and features that made her amazing. _Her eyes, _Percy thought immediately. Her beautiful eyes. Her curly hair. Her independent personality. He remembered how he'd asked her out, and she'd accepted immediately, flashing him that awesome smile. _She's a keeper_, thought Percy. He smiled as he thought the name of this beauty:

_ Rachel Elizabeth Dare._

**Okay, so I'm really nervous cause I don't know if you guys predicted that. At the end, I tried to keep her features very vague so that it wasn't obvious who it was; I hope some of you thought it was Annabeth! More twists coming up, I promise, but there will be Percabeth too. R&R, please! Also for those of you who asked how often I might update, I'll probably do it at least once every week. I'm on break right now, so I can update like every other day right now, but as soon as school restarts, I'll be back onto my busy schedule. Woah that's a long AN. Congrats to those who read all of it. :P Thanks!**


	4. Apology AN

** Hey Guys, I'm extremely sorry.. you probably thought this was a chapter. I'm sorry for the very slow update, but like I previously mentioned, I have a concussion, so I'm not allowed to go on the computer or electronics for more than two minutes, and two minutes only if I'm lucky... :( I'm really sorry I'll try to update soon! Like, tomorrow, or today night! Sorry, and thanks for sticking with me.. **


	5. Chapter 4: Soccer Practice

**Wow; Thanks for all the reviews, favorites, follows, and positive feedback! I'm **_**so **_**sorry for the wait.. I hope you like the chapter anyway! Here it is:**

Chapter Four: Soccer Practice

Annabeth was the last person to leave the geometry room. She had asked Ms. Phelps, her teacher, a simple question about tangents, but somehow that question had turned from simple to a heated, complicated, "discussion" about two-column proofs. Annabeth loved geometry, but that "discussion" with Ms. Phelps had just ruined her mood. Ms. Phelps was her least favorite teacher anyway; that lady couldn't stand modern teens. _Old fashioned brat_, thought Annabeth, as she walked to her locker. Being a busy person, Annabeth had to check her schedule for what class she had first today. She smiled as she realized that the gloomy mood she was in would soon disappear—she had soccer today.

A lot more energized, Annabeth grabbed her soccer stuff out of her locker and ran to the locker room to change. When done, she ran out, realizing too late that she wasn't supposed to run on the linoleum floor with cleats.

"Ouch!" Man, that hurt her butt. She grumbled as she realized that due to her backpack being unzipped, all her stuff had fallen out. She sighed as she began to clean up, when a pair of hands held out more than half of her stuff, handing it to her. She looked up and observed that the pair of hands belonged to a boy with pure black, windswept hair which looked wet, and with mesmerizing green eyes. She smiled gratefully and re-packed her backpack, remembering to _zip it shut_ this time.

"Thanks," she told the by.

He smiled an easy, lopsided smile. "No problem. Hey, I feel like I've seen you before… What's your name?"

"Annabeth. Annabeth Chase."

"Ohh… Now I recognize you. You're in my bio class! The super smart one answering all the questions!" Annabeth flushed. "You're such a Wise Girl. Oh yea! Haha. Wise Girl! That's your nickname now."

Annabeth raised her eyebrows at how outgoing and comfortable this boy seemed to be when giving nicknames to people he barely knew. "What's your name?" she questioned.

"Percy. Percy Jackson." Annabeth suddenly realized why his voice sounded so familiar. So did his name, actually…

"Wow! You're the guy obsessed with marine biology, right? Like, you're _always_ talking about the sea." Percy grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah, that's me. I love the water."

Annabeth smiled warmly. "I realize that." She stared at his black hair and suddenly realized why his name sounded familiar. "Oh my gosh! Aren't you Thalia's cousin? She talks about you all the time." She made her voice sound deadly, like Thalia's. 'I will kill that dork!' she mimicked.

Percy laughed. "Yup. That's my cousin. We _love_ each other… note the sarcasm?"

Annabeth nodded, but then she saw the clock. "Oh, shit!"

Percy followed her gaze. "Oh, I'm sorry.. are you late?"

Annabeth smiled sheepishly. "No, I'm not. I'm just not an hour early, like I usually am.."

Percy chuckled at her shy behavior. "Sorry to keep you from.. I'm guessing.. soccer?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "No. I'm wearing shin-guards and shorts for my swim practice."

_Big Mistake_, she thought, as she saw his face brighten. "Really?" he squealed like a five-year-old girl.

"No! You're such a Seaweed Brain. Hey! Haha… That's _your_ nickname."

It was Percy's turn to roll his eyes. "Gee, thanks."

"Anytime. Anway, it was great meeting you, Percy, but I'll see you in bio, 'cause I seriously should get to practice."

Percy nodded. "Yes, ma'am. Wouldn't want to be _only 59 minutes _early, would we?" he asked mockingly.

"Shut up, Seaweed Brain. It's 58." Annabeth lectured, smacking him on the shoulder playfully as she walked out.

"Oowwiieeeeee…" Percy whined. Annabeth just shook her head without turning around. Chuckling at her, Percy called after her, "Have fun at swim practice, Wise Girl!"

Annabeth smiled and shook her head yet again, as she continued walking away. For the first time since Luke, one of her bad moods had been cleared by something other than soccer. _He's not cool, though_, thought Annabeth. _He's only a Seaweed Brain._

kdhaiehlknelhibheldiuhLINE BREAKlakjdlnkaiheliahgakhdlhijuloeaw

Annabeth's coach, Alexis, raised her eyebrows as Annabeth walked in, later than usual.

"I ran on linoleum with cleats.. my backpack was unzipped… Fill in the details."

"Aaahh, I see…" Alexis nodded understandingly, then laughed. She then motioned for Annabeth to stretch while she put out the cones for their drills As Annabeth stretched, she thought about what she has screwed up at her last game. She finished stretching and began her two mile warm-up run. As she ran, she pulled out her i-pod and allowed the music to fill her up. By the time she had juggled and worked on her shooting technique, the rest of the team had trailed in. Annabeth once again ran, but with her team, three miles this time, and fell into the wonderfully familiar and soothing pattern of soccer practice. As she allowed her feet to take over, and breathed in the smell of fresh grass, for the first time that day, she felt free.

**Hey, so that's it for this chapter.. I added some Percabeth cause really, who can resist? I'm probably going to do more soccer practice chapters, because important things come in those. Also, I had to ask, should I make Rachel really mean or nice? Not as mean as Diana, obviously, but like an Annabeth-hater and stuff. Anyway, hope you liked the chapter; sorry for the long wait. Stupid concussion. **


	6. Chapter 5: Biology and Lunches

**Next chapter! Thanks again, for ALL your AWESOME support. I'm super sorry for the wait! **** (I HATE concussions) I'm not gonna make you wait any longer for this one! Here's the chapter.**

Chapter Five: Biology and Lunches

Percy groaned as he heard his alarm clock. "Mo-om.. do I _have _to go to school today? Please say no…"

Sally smiled fondly at her eldest son. "Yes, Percy, you do. Besides, you were going to swim for an hour, then get ready and go, right?" **(A/N: Just saying, people do swim before and after school.. I speak from experience, so it's not made up, promise!)**

Percy immediately brightened up. "Oh yeah! Shit, I bet Paul's already at the pool! He ran out the door, jamming his foot into the dresser, on the way. "Oh.. ffff—"

"Percy! Watch your language!" Sally commanded.

"Gosh Mom, I was going to say fudge-cake. Sheesh…" Percy remarked, smiling.

Sally rolled her eyes at her son, while walking upstairs to check on Tyson. Percy smiled at his mom—who could resist loving her?

!

When Percy got out of the pool, he immediately checked the time. "Paul, you made me late for school! You're late for your mythology class too, ya know."

Paul muttered some words under his breath; words which Sally would have definitely reprimanded him for.

"Hurry up in the locker room, please, Perce!"

Percy chuckled under his breath at his stepdad. _Of course_ he'd been watching the time; he had repeatedly told Percy. Goes to show how well Paul could watch the clock! Percy cursed as he realized why he hadn't wanted to be late today.

"Paul! I was supposed to meet Rachel at her locker, before school started!"

"Oops."

Shaking his head at his stepfather, Percy ran out the door. "Last one to the car is a rotten fish!"

!

As soon as Percy got to school (on time, thanks to Paul's not-so-legal driving), he ran to his locker, grabbed his books, then ran to find Rachel's locker, when he noticed that… he didn't have any idea of where it was. That was when he spotted Annabeth, the really smart girl he'd ran into the day before. Maybe she could help him… didn't girls like stalk each other so that they could gossip?

Percy walked over to Annabeth and called out her name. Or, rather, her nickname.

"Oi! Wise Girl!" Annabeth turned around, recognizing his voice, when Percy noticed who she was talking to..

"Hey, dork! Finally I see you…" and Thalia ran to him, jumping on him and tackling him to the ground, better than any football jock could.

"Oomph, Thalia, ow, that hurt! Love you too, cuz."

The angry cousin jumped to her feet with a sarcastic sweet smile on her face. "That's for making me wait at your door this morning."

Percy looked confused… then he realized that Thalia was going to pick him up that morning… and he'd forgotten to tell her that he was at swimming with Paul, although his mom had reminded him several times… great, now two women were mad at him.

"Anyway…" Percy muttered. "I needed to talk to Annabeth, not anyone else…"

"Really, Percy? Not even me?" asked a certain red-haired, teenage girl, popping out from behind a locker. _Rachel_, thought Percy with relief. "Wow, can't believe you _agreed_ to talk to me, but _want_ to talk to Anniebeth…" She turned and walked to her next class with a huff. Wow. That made three women. This day got better by the minute.

"See you in bio, Seaweed Brain!"

Wow. Annabeth was an… interesting kind of girl—different, for sure. _And annoying, too! _added Percy, as an afterthought.

!

Percy smiled as he walked to his biology class, with Ms. Humbard. He hated her, but he loved marine biology. They weren't a very good mix of teacher/subject, observed Percy. At least today he'd have Annabeth to talk to. So today wouldn't be too boring. Percy recalled again, for the fourth time in two days, the way he had met Annabeth. Those fierce, stormy, gray eyes were initially startling, but he'd adjusted within a couple seconds. Those princessy blonde curls, however, were definitely not a new sight. Due to the fact that Percy sat behind Annabeth, he had always seen only the hair, never the eyes. As he began to think about his biology homework (and how he had forgotten to do it), he bumped into a (very) familiar redhead.

"Rachel?"

"What, Percy?!" Percy gasped in surprise. She'd been refusing to talk to him the whole day. Until now, apparently. Thank god. He didn't want to lose Rachel. He liked her too much for that.

"Hey , Rache, look, I'm sorry. Let me explain. I was looking for Annabeth caue her locker is really close to mine, and I figured that she would know where your locker was…" Rachel raised her eyebrows, still suspicious. "God, Rachel, I even made Paul break the law to get me here on time!"

Rachel couldn't help it. She cracked a smile. Who could stay mad at a guy like Percy, for long?

"So.. am I forgiven?"

Rachel smiled ever so slightly as she leaned over and kissed him full on the lips, then walked away, without turning back. Percy had never kissed Rachel before, and _damn_ that felt good.

"I'll take that as a yes!" he called to Rachel, who had now crossed half of the hallway.

Suddenly noticing that all the students were in class, Percy turned around and ran to class, grinning like an idiot the entire way there.

! When Percy burst into class, still grinning like a maniac, Ms. Humbard muttered something under her breath—something that sounded suspiciously like: "Shoot, he isn't absent?" Clearing her throat and raising her voice, Ms. Humbard began to lecture Percy on the importance of time. Percy, being Percy, remarked, "Um.. Ms. Humbard, if you don't hurry up and stop lecturing me, then this precious time of yours, for class, at least, will all be wasted; time which you could use to talk about cool things.. like, marine biology, for instance."

There was a muffled sound of laughter, when Ms. Humbard got red in the face, and elled for the class to shut up and work. Realizing that Percy was still standing, she barked at im to sit down. He scanned the room for blonde curls, when he spotted them, and he walked to the seat next to the blonde, and sat down.

"How was I?" he whispered to Annabeth, who was the only focused person in the room. She didn't respond, and Percy began to think that she was too focused to notice him, when a neatly folded piece of paper landed in his lap. He opened it up and pouted.

_Out of a 10, you deserve a 7._

Percy frowned in her direction and quickly scribbled a response.

_Wise Girl, I deserve better than _that!

Throwing the note back, Percy finally noticed the assignment on the board. He opened up his book and began to work, when the paper came back.

_Seaweed Brain, we all know who's __wiser… __why don't we let them decide how good you were?_

_ I'm wiser. Definitely._

And so continued the notes between the tow, until the bell rang for lunch. Annabeth laughed as she heard Percy's stomach rumble in synch with the lunch bell.

"Seaweed Brain, you are _so_ lucky that your stomach didn't rumble a minute before… Humbard would've given you your own brains to satiate the hunger. I'm sure there wouldn't be much of a meal, though.

"Gee Annabeth, thanks for arousing my appetite!"

"Oh, anytime! 'K Percy, see ya later, I gotta get my lunch."

"Oh, that's cool, see ya in the caf."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "I doubt you'll be able to see me with all those fangirls of yours crowding around you… Anyway, see you."

Percy turned red as Annabeth walked away. There as something about Annabeth, he noted. She was different from other girls… Like, not THALIA type different, but she didn't hold back from speaking her mind… That's why she was so easy to talk to, Percy realized. She wasn't ever interested in flirting with him—even before she realized that she was crazy about Rachel. _Annabeth's cool, _thought Percy. _But she's still a very annoying Wise Girl. _

!

Annabeth smiled as she walked to her locker. Percy was very easy to converse with. She grabbed her lunch and a book and walked to her regular table. Annabeth always sat alone, always with a book. It wasn't that she didn't have friends; it was just that she didn't feel like asking anyone if she could at their table. She settled down and opened her book, easily becoming lost in the characters and plot. She was snapped out of this "trance" by a tap on the shoulder. She looked up and met a face with very familiar green eyes and black hair.

"Hey, dork."

"Hey… why are you alone?" He didn't wait for an answer. "Come on, sit with us! Even Thalia's there, you won't feel out of place at all, don't worry."

Annabeth hesitated, then slowly got up grabbed her stuff, and walked over with Percy.

"Annie!" Thalia greeted, while holding one of Percy's friends in a choke hold.

"First of all, never call me that again. Second, what did the poor kid do?"

Thalia almost spit out her food. "Poor kid?" she shrieked. "Poor kid, my ass. This _poor kid_ happened to steal Aegis, my favorite magnet!" Thalia loved magnets, and she loved all of them dearly, but everyone knew especially not to touch her Aegis magnet….

"Sorry, dude, can't help you there." Annabeth said with a shrug. "You shoulda known what you were getting into…"

Percy… walking away for his fangirl crowd, came over and asked Annabeth, "So, Wise Girl, on a scales of one to ten, where would this prank be?" This had become a sort of game between them: 'on a scale of one to ten, where would… be?'

Annabeth pondered that. "I'd give it a nine," she decided.

Percy raised his eyebrows. "What?! And my amazing diss got a SEVEN?" Annabeth smiled.

"Okay fine, you're right. It _does_ deserve a six."

"I wasn't asking for the rating of your life, Annabeth."

Annabeth 's eyes suddenly filled with tears. "Sorry for giving it to you," she whispered, before running out the door. She could hear Thalia yelling at Percy, and although she knew she should stop Thalia—Percy had just been joking—she didn't. All she did was curl up in a ball and cry.

**A/N: Yeah.. So that's it, I'm slowly getting better. Yay! That was a long chapter—hope it made up for te wait! Please R&R! I promise the ending part will get explained next chapter, I promise. I added in a little bit of Percy/Rachel (They ARE in a relationship), but I wrote like a bit of kind of Percabeth too—hope that made up for Percy/Rachel! Anyway, hope you liked the chapter, and please R&R! Thanks for waiting, y'all are awesome!**


	7. Chapter 6: Secrets Unveiled

**I'm back! Hope you liked the last chapter; I'm kind of nervous about this one. It will be a little contradictory and quite illogical, but it will connect later, I promise. This one isn't nearly as long, but hope you'll like the chapter! (P.S. This is back to cliché for a couple chapters)**

Chapter Six: Secrets Unveiled

Annabeth began to cough as she realized that her body was running out of tears. She ran to her locker to grab a water bottle, but ended up grabbing the floor when she ran straight into the one person she did not want to meet—Percy Jackson himself. Attempting to push her way past him, Annabeth reached for her locker, but Percy's gentle-yet-firm hands held her back. His eyes questioned what he had done wrong. Annabeth motioned for him to wait, grabbed her water bottle, and motioned—her throat was too dry to speak—for Percy to follow her. She led him to a small patch of grass (right next to the soccer field) which was hidden by a tree. Percy had silently followed Annabeth's wishes, but now he had come to a point where silence was no longer acceptable.

"Annabeth," he blurted. "What did I do?! Please, tell me, I swear I was joking… I didn't know that the retort was good enough to make you cry… but, now that I think of it, if it managed to make _you_ cry, you've _got_ to give it a ten, at least."

Annabeth couldn't help it. She cracked a smile. The way that Percy could immediately make somebody smile was a very valuable skill, she noted. "That's twice," she commented suddenly, in a hoarse voice. Percy looked at her questionably. "This is the second time you've cheered me up," she explained. "Before, when I was upset with Ms. Phelps, and now, when I was upset because of…" she trailed off, avoiding Percy's intent gaze.

"Annabeth, who hurt you?" Percy asked suddenly.

Snapping her head up, Annabeth raised her eyebrows. "I never said that someone hurt me!"

Percy smiled wryly. "Yes you did. Maybe not from your mouth, but your eyes tend to communicate more effectively. Annabeth, _who hurt you_?"

Annabeth shook her head obstinately. "How do you know that a person hurt me? It could be my dog for all you know."

Percy smiled at her stubborn nature. She was so much like Rachel. "First off, there is no way that you have a dog—your locker didn't even have a single picture of an animal, forget about your dog. Second, you had a painful breakup—it's obvious. Annabeth, I know that expression in your eyes. I had to see it every day in the mirror for three months, until I finally met Rachel. So 'fess up and explain, _please_."

Annabeth hesitated, then took a deep breath and decided to tell Percy. The decision was shocking even to her because she had a problem with trust, but Percy seemed like a special case… so easy to talk to. She felt a strange emotion rise up inside of her… was it... trust? This was a shocker; Annabeth didn't trust anybody except Thalia. But somehow, she felt an urge to tell Percy. He had said that he had seen that expression, and Annabeth was ever so longing to confide in someone who could _relate_ to her rather than only sympathize.

"Fine," she relented. "But I'll make a deal with you. I'll tell you my story—but you'll have to tell me yours."

Percy considered this, and then nodded in agreement. Taking another deep breath, Annabeth began her story about Luke and his ways. It felt good to open up to Percy—unlike Thalia, he just listened, without interrupting. Annabeth spilled everything: her opinions, her feelings, her emotions, and of course, her anger. When she was done, she felt relieved—like a large burden had been lifted off her shoulders. The best part of everything, though, was that Percy did not give her the sympathy she had received from Thalia. He just let her take it out then simply shrugged and laughed, stating that his story was almost the same. Percy calmly explained what Diana had done to him, without using her name (the way that Annabeth had avoided using Luke's). When Percy had completed his story, the two sat in a comfortable silence, each enjoying the comfort that the other person's story had brought. Finally Percy spoke.

"It's nice that you told me this and all, but, um, I still don't exactly get what this has to do with your getting upset…"

Annabeth mentally face-palmed as she realized that, this whole time, she hadn't even bothered to address Percy's original question. Collecting her thoughts, she spoke up. "Percy, this 'game' that you and I play, it was mine and… _his_ favorite thing to 'play,' even before we got together, before all of… that… happened. There was a time, though, when Luke… changed. He joined a gang, and when I jokingly gave his gang a six, he said exactly what you said. Then… then he-he- he slapped me, Percy."

She heard a sharp intake of breath from next to her. Then she saw Percy's angry face. "Annabeth, why the _hell_ would you get with a guy like that?!"

"Percy, he _promised_ that he had changed! He envisioned a future for us, a beautiful one, with things so wonderfully permanent that I couldn't afford to refuse."

"And I thought you were smart."

Annabeth rolled her eyes and then did what any mature 17-year-old would do. She stuck out her tongue at him. He reciprocated the gesture, and the two kept exchanging faces back and forth until Annabeth finally checked the time. She yelped in surprise.

Percy looked at her and questioned, "Annabeth, what's the big deal? We're only missing _school_."

Annabeth shot him the most disapproving look she could muster, and began to lecture Percy on the importance of school. They both got up and began to walk towards the soccer field. Annabeth didn't stop talking. Nothing could stop her. Except…

"Hey Annie, think fast!"

Ouch! The soccer ball hit Annabeth's leg.

"DO NOT CALL ME ANNIE! _OR_ THROW A SOCCER BALL AT ME!"

And she chased him freely, for once free of the burden called life.

**Eh it's okay. I'm not a huge fan of this chapter, but I'm happy with how it turned out. Please continue to review—your reviews are what keep me going! And a response to Guest Elena: **

**Thank you so much! For all your reviews. Haha I'll try to update sooner, promise. **

**Like I said, back to cliché for a couple chapters.. it's needed to get where I eventually want to lead the story. I'm aiming for about 9 more chapters, hopefully less. Thanks for hanging with me—I hope you liked this. R&R please; you are amazing!**

**-messi-soccergirl18-10**


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